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The Secret: Those who have special dietary needs will be thrilled to know that Downtown Disney now has a bakery just for them! It's almost as if this bakery is being treated as a secret. It's practically hidden inside a corner of the Pollo Campero restaurant located in the Downtown Marketplace. There's no signage for this bakery outside, and and it's gotten very little publicity. It's not even written about on the official Disney Public Relations site. We don't know why it's so under-shared, but we're letting out the secret!

BabyCakes NYC™ specializes in baked goods that are:

- Gluten-free

- Wheat free

- Soy free

- Casein-free

- Egg-free

- Refined sugar-free

- Vegan

- Kosher

They offer treats such as cupcakes, chocolate chip cookie sandwiches (2 cookies with cream in the middle) and donuts.

Sweeteners: Although they don't offer sugar-free items, most of their products are sweetened with agave syrup which comes from a cactus. It's low on the glycemic index (approximately 30), so some of those with diabetes will be able to use it. However agave does have its controversies, so if you have health challenges, you may wish to look into this prior to coming. Also keep in mind that some of their products are sweetened with unprocessed, unrefined sugar.

The verdict: It's hard to believe you could cook anything without any of those ingredients, but they do.

So here's the real question: Are they any good? Yes. However don't expect them to match up to conventional pastries in certain respects.

As soon as we checked into our hotel we headed right over. When I first approached the bakery cases, I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed. The cases were on the sparse side, with very few choices. We asked about this and were told that in the evenings the choices get more sparse. The cases are stocked in the morning and by late afternoon they begin running low. We came back another day in the afternoon and there were some additional choices at that time.

Another thing that was underwhelming was the look of the baked goods. The cupcakes did not resemble those big, fluffy cream topped cupcakes you see in conventional bakeries these days. They were small, with a moderately thin layer of cream on top. The cookies were thin, and the donuts looked dense and unappealing.

To taste test, I chose two types of donuts, 2 types of cupcakes and the chocolate chip cookie sandwich. Keep in mind that I've been on a gluten-free diet for the last year, so it's been a long time since I've had conventional baked goods.

My first bite into a cupcake was satisfying. It was sweet and flavorful with the texture of a dense cake. The cream on top was thick, sweet and tasty. The blondie cupcake had chocolate chips throughout that added nice flavor and texture. While the cupcakes were not the fluffy texture you find in conventional bakeries, they were certainly a satisfying and delicious treat.

The chocolate chip cookie sandwich was also delicious. The texture was on the crunchy side, and the cream in the middle made it a bit decadent. The texture of the donuts was similar to the cupcakes - dense. They had crunchy toppings that were delicious. 

Final thoughts: Would I come back here? You bet. It was a real treat for me to be able to eat fresh baked goods. However will those who are used to conventional baked goods enjoy this bakery? Here's a quote from one such person:

"I tasted a donut. Was it okay? Yes. Would I choose it over the other treats I can get in Downtown Disney? Not likely. There's so many other places with crazy delicious choices that I wouldn't ordinarily pick from this bakery. But then I don't have allergies and quite honestly I don't really eat particularly healthy when I'm on vacation." 

However if you're health conscious, or if you have a special dietary need, this bakery will be another fantastic pleasure to look forward to during your Walt Disney vacation.

 

 

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